I have never been so embarrassed of fellow journalists

being a good person isn't wrong, rosie.

 

Thanks for your compliments, guys.

But to listen to some that have posted about this subject (in previous threads as well), you would think there is no room for exceptions. I disagree.

The one who really deserves the kudos is the player who came and spoke to my FIL.

 

When I covered baseball, there was a kid watching batting practice who was pretty obviously had gone through chemo. He was wearing a jersey of the team's star, who I was talking to that day.

I said, "Not that this is any of my business, but there is a kid in the front row out there wearing your jersey."

He immediately ran out there and signed and posed for pictures with the kid and actually thanked me later for telling him about it.

Is it stepping over a line? Maybe, but I don't care.

Rosie, your story is a wonderful one.

 

Rosie - That story's fine. It's the people who talk about proving to their old frat brother that they "shook hands with a superstar pro athlete" that get on my nerves. Or think that it's OK to get Cal Ripken's autograph because he's a "transcendent sports figure."

Or come on here and act like having a base line level of professionalism is "being self-righteous."

I didn't get into this to meet famous people. In fact, I find them boring mostly. I was in a car with my friend's wife (ha ha - he was there, too), a former journalist-turned-lawyer who still has some journalist friends. She started going on about how her friend is "getting to" interview David Cook (that's the "American Idol" dude, right?).

"I looooooove famous people!!!" she told me.

I don't get it, I guess. When I have kids, I'm teaching them to save their love for the sports themselves, not the fairly normal guys who play them.

 

I don't think that is stepping over the line at all. Jesus, we're not robots. Letting a player know some kid was wearing a jersey who is obviously sick? There's a line we can cross when it comes to interacting with players, etc., that isn't it.

I'd do the same thing.

And Rosie, I agree, great story. I would have done the same.

 

I think sometimes people expect us to be robots.

 

I think so, but if I can do something that might make someone feel a little better, so be it. It's not like I would be staging a "feel-good" moment to get a story or anything.

 

What's the consensus of having someone take a picture of you conducting an interview?

 

Funny, because back in my writing days, one of our photogs took a picture of me interviewing Arnold Palmer.

I had no idea he did it until he handed me an 8X10 glossy.

He said "If I'd of asked you, I know what the answer would be. So I went and did it anyway."

I couldn't argue with that logic. Better to ask forgiveness than permission: one of my life rules.

 

I think sometimes we expect ourselves to be robots. We eat our own on some of these issues.

It's the age-old question: Are you a human being first, journalist second? Or the other way around?

There are times when I wonder what some of your answers would be. Acting like a normal human being isn't going to kill your objectivity. Promise.

 

I agree. I would like to think most of us know where the line is that you wouldn't cross.